What are the effects of driving without releasing the car's handbrake?
2 Answers
The effects of driving without releasing the car's handbrake are: 1. Increased wear on the brake discs; 2. Accelerated heating and hardening of the brake pads; 3. Accelerated tire wear; 4. Causing the rear wheels to lock or generate smoke due to friction; 5. Leading to the brake calipers seizing and brake fluid leakage; 6. Resulting in excessively high brake fluid temperature and loss of braking function. The purpose of the car's handbrake: To control the speed of the rear wheels. Precautions for using the handbrake: 1. Avoid pulling it too tightly to prevent the brake cable's function from deteriorating; 2. For automatic transmission cars, engage the handbrake before shifting to P; 3. When driving at high speeds, the handbrake cannot replace the foot brake; 4. Do not forget to engage the handbrake when stopped on a slope.
One time I drove off without releasing the handbrake, and the whole car felt like it was dragging a heavy iron chain, moving extremely sluggishly. This is no small matter - if left for too long, the brake pads and brake drums would wear down to dangerously thin levels and could easily get ruined. Just imagine, the braking system would be constantly engaged, generating friction heat. If it overheats and the brakes fail, how dangerous would that be! Moreover, the car struggles to pull forward with extra effort, causing fuel consumption to skyrocket and wasting gasoline money for nothing. I experienced this once when the car felt weak while driving, and I even smelled something burning. Luckily, I checked promptly and avoided major trouble. Now I've developed a habit of glancing at the dashboard before every start to prevent such mistakes and avoid expensive repairs. By the way, this is a common mistake for beginners - more practice will help.
